In This Universe
by wolfchic011
Summary: "If you could only know, what we really are. When we arrived on Earth, from out beyond your stars..." A set of one-shots detailing unseen moments in Gem history. Canon compliant as of "Too Far" but may lose credibility as new episodes air. Mostly focused on the Crystal Gems but I will take requests.
1. The Rose and the Pearl

_The Rose and the Pearl_

The gallery was long and hollow, an ancient chamber that was brightly lit as if to conceal the dust and dankness that had slowly built up over centuries. The footsteps of the Gems preceded them down the long gallery: one set quiet and purposeful, the other quick and hurrying.

"Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence this glorious day!" The Goshenite exalted, bowing her rectangular head so low it nearly scraped the floor. She quickly snapped upright and jogged to keep up with his customer as she continued walking. "We were ever so pleased when we received word that you yourself would be making the selection!"

The other Gem chuckled. "I'm sure you were, Goshenite. Now please, the Pearls?"

The lower Gem nodded enthusiastically. "Just this way, my Lady Rose Quartz." She pressed her gem — located at the hollow of her throat — and the door before them opened in a blast of blue light. "This is the waiting room for our main batch, I'll be sure to separate out the ones made especially for you."

They walked down a short ramp and into a large antechamber lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Crowded into the space were about a hundred or so identical Pearls. As Rose and the Goshenite manager watched, the Gems below all raised their arms in synchronization, bending slightly at the waist so they curved into perfect crescents. As one, they danced en pointe, twirling effortlessly in the space with a swish of skirts. The mass of identical Pearls shifted and stretched like a great wave, mesmerizing in its movement and purpose. Rose watched with tight eyes, a thin smile on her face.

The Goshenite clapped her hands together sharply and the dancers froze. A hundred identical heads all shot up to the new arrivals.

"Batch number 4128 Pearls please come forward to be inspected." The Goshenite barked, none of her pleasant nature coming through in the orders. "The rest of you scatter, do not disturb Rose Quartz as she selects her Pearl!"

The Pearls obeyed without question, such was their nature. About thirty came forward to the center of the room and lined up in a straight line, the others mingled about the edges of the room, staring blankly at their faces in the mirror.

Rose stepped onto the floor, the Goshenite proceeding her to make sure everything was perfect.

"As you requested, here are the generated Pearls for your inspection, my Lady."

Rose examined the line of identical copies, each one staring politely past her as she walked by. The Goshenite followed her, nearly tripping over herself to explain the inventory.

"Made to order, every single one a dancer! Just like you requested."

Rose paused in the line, examining one about a quarter of the way down. "What about the other attributes I asked for?" She inquired, inspecting the Pearl's long nose, pure white skin and spherical gem set high in her forehead.

"Ah yes," Goshenite continued, snapping her fingers at the Pearl she was watching until it came out of line and bowed low. "I can assure you they are all polite, clean, organized, and clever. With all due respect though your Diamondness, I fail to see how that last one is useful."

Rose watched the prostrate Pearl with little interest, ignoring the way the Goshenite was practically panting to anticipate her next demand.

She turned away from the line and her gaze was drawn to the edges of the room. All the differently batched Pearls were staring blankly at their reflections in the mirrors, waiting for their next set of orders from the Goshenite to free them. Rose's attention moved gradually around the edge of the room, growing increasingly bored, until a flicker of movement caught her eye.

The Pearl in the furthest corner of the room, the only one with two mirrors to gaze into, wasn't looking at her own reflection. The Gem's head was fixed pointedly at the floor, her eyes closed tight like she were trying to disappear entirely.

"What about that one?" Rose heard herself asking, interrupting the Goshenite's tirade about just how flexible this particular batch of Pearls was.

She followed her gaze and chuckled.

"Oh, you don't want that one Rose Quartz…she's defective, doesn't follow all the orders she's given."

As the manager spoke, the Pearl in the corner noticeably stiffened, her fist curling up into a tight ball.

Rose was intrigued. "What else?"

"What…else?" The manager seemed confused.

"What else is so 'wrong' with her?" Rose asked, taking a few steps closer to the defective Pearl.

The Goshenite stumbled after her, leaving the batch of Pearls standing uselessly behind her. "Well…what else matters?" She asked Rose. A Pearl who didn't follow orders was a useless toy. "She was originally meant to be part of your batch but when we noticed she was defective, we thought it best not to present her with the others." Her hand fluttered as if to grab her arm and stop her movement towards the cornered Pearl but she thought better of it mid-action. "We can easily make more!" she assured her, rushing to stand in front of the advancing Quartz, her hands up in an accommodating gesture. "she'll just take her place working the Incubators or in the Caverns. Most of our defects end up in the Fractured District…especially those who cant follow orders…"

The defect was visibly shaking now. In the reflection, Rose swore she saw a single tear fall from its eye.

She turned her brightest smile on the manager. "I will examine her." She said in a voice that held no room for questions.

The Goshenite jumped in surprise but made a good change by not questioning her demand. She turned on her heel and gestured at the curled up Pearl. "Defect! You there! Come here."

The defective Pearl turned around slowly, her off-white skin coloring a slight blue under her cheeks. Rose tilted her head slightly at this. Pearls were meant to be pure white. The Pearl unfolded herself and took slow, graceful steps over towards them.

"Present yourself before Rose Quartz!" the Goshenite hissed at her out of the corner of her mouth, smiling widely at Rose.

The Pearl bowed her head, her fists clenched loosely at her sides. "Your Diamondness." She murmured quietly, in a chipped voice.

Rose examined the Gem's stone. It was set high in her forehead, much like the other Pearls lined up behind her, but rather than protruding from her body in a circular shape, this one's gemstone was smoothed and oval, rising only slightly off her skin. Her form was lither than the others, her hair coming to a stubborn point at the back of her head rather than the high ponytails typical of Pearls.

"She wasn't cooled properly in the Chambers." The manager said, sounding like she were apologizing. "The Incubators in the ocean sector have been acting up lately, we don't know why. She was the last one made there that was capable of holding her form, the others just crumbled to bits."

The Pearl was shaking again, her fists closed tightly even as her gaze remained focused on the floor at Rose's feet. Rose dipped her head slightly to look at the other Gem's face. She was startled to see tears gathering in the corners of the Pearl's eyes.

Pearls did not show emotion. They were not made capable of processing such concepts.

Maybe that was why she did it.

"I'll take her."

The Pearl looked up, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

The Goshenite visibly jumped. "Ma'm?"

Rose Quartz smiled at her again. "I like things that I can fix." She admitted. "It's kind of my thing. I heal them."

She pretended not to notice the way the Pearl's gaze hardened and her form tensed.

The manager stammered a bit before beginning her rebuttal. "Your Diamondness…I must insist, with the reputation that this establishment maintains and the quality of stock you demand, this model will not fulfill your expectations…there is so much wrong with her my Lady, that I fear you will not…"

"I _will_ take this one, Goshenite." She interrupted.

She could not argue with that voice. She bowed low. "alright, if you're sure." The Goshenite snapped at the Pearl, making her stiffen and turn towards her.

"Defect 4128, you are now the property of Rose Quartz of the Diamond Authority." She said in an unsympathetic voice. "Do you understand the role and duties you are now being given?"

The Pearl bowed stiffly. "I do and I am glad to serve." She said in that same chipped voice.

The Goshenite nodded.

"Do feel free to return her for a full refund if she causes you any trouble whatsoever." She murmured to Rose as she left, loud enough that the Pearl could hear.

The Pearl blushed furiously and stared at the floor.

Rose left the studio full of perfect copies behind, her new Pearl trailing after her.

Outside the dealer's studio, Rose felt a small tug on her arm and turned to the Pearl.

The defect's eyes were down. She knew it was shameful to address her master without being acknowledged. "Wh…why did you do that?" She asked, tears pricking the corner of her eyes again.

Rose just smiled.

"Come with me." She told the smaller Gem. "You'll be my Pearl."


	2. Just A Pearl

_Just a Pearl_

"I'm sorry."

Rose sighed, it seemed like ever since she'd brought this one home, Pearl had done nothing but apologize.

Even when she'd done nothing exactly wrong, those were still the first words out of her mouth.

Rose set her not-quite-perfect cup of stimulant down and folded her hands patiently in front of her. "It's alright Pearl, just do better next time."

Pearl nodded stiffly, then rose from her crouch and hurried away to return to her cleaning.

Rose settled back at her desk, her curls ruffling her shoulders and the sides of her chair.

It had been almost a hundred years since she had walked away from that Pearl refinery with her new possession. And not once had she thought about sending her back. Not because she'd fixed the defective Pearl, far from it. Rather, it was because she had yet to find a way that succeeded.

Rose had tried everything: gentle reminders, written reminders, slightly-elevated-in-volume reminders…but still the Pearl was not improving.

Oh she did all her work flawlessly and on time. In fact, a little _too_ flawlessly if Rose admitted it. Everything was lined up to a tee and organized by a binary schematic that not even she could have dreamed up. On top of that, Pearl was quick to obey Rose's commands and always waited patiently for the next one.

But she still did things she wasn't ordered to do. She hummed. She re-organized messes. She danced even when Rose was not there to watch. She would sometimes lose her polished exterior and snap at Rose or at a guest who was rude to her. Every time she recognized her mistake and apologized profusely. But she never learned to stop doing it.

"She never learns to behave…" Rose muttered to herself, sipping her stimulant and returning to her off-world reports. But she couldn't focus on the paperwork about newly discovered colonies or the production numbers from off-world Kindergartens. Not when the problem of Pearl was first in her mind.

"How can I reach her?" She murmured.

Two seconds later, there was a deafening cascade of crashing sounds reverberating through the walls.

Rose was on her feet in an instant, gliding down the hallways of the Rose Diamond palace to the source of the noise. It had come from within her workshop.

She flung open the door to reveal an unholy mess of various parts and scrap metal and Pearl's arm waving vaguely from the epicenter of it. Clearly, Pearl had been trying to clean the overstuffed workshop and one wrong move had set off an avalanche of old parts and garbage.

"Pearl!" Rose called, leaping into the air and landing weightlessly on a slab of metal next to where Pearl was buried. She pulled the smaller gem free, holding her up so she could examine her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Pearl's eyes were downcast, her gaze heavy. Rose slowly lowered her back to the floor but did not let go of the other gem's shoulders.

"You must be more careful, Pearl." Rose gently scolded her. "You could have gotten poofed or cracked your gem under all that…"

"You shouldn't have picked me," Pearl interrupted, her voice tearful. "I'm not good for anything."

"Don't say that Pearl…" Rose began softly, hoping Pearl would not cry. She never knew what to do when Pearl cried.

Pearl shook her head violently, her face contorting with self-hatred. "I argue, I'm disobedient and selfish, I cant carry out simple tasks…" She clenched her fists, clearly fighting the emotions welling up inside her. Pearls were not meant to have emotions. They were just possessions. They lived to serve and obey.

Rose chuckled. "Pearl…" She said, so gently that the other gem looked at her in surprise, her tense body loosening somewhat. "That is why I picked you. I'm going to fix you."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Pearl's gaze clouded again. "Why bother?" She asked, turning away from Rose and starting to pick up the pieces of the mess around her. Rose started to answer but found that she had none. Why was she doing this? She had wasted 100 years on this Pearl and nothing had come from it.

Rose watched Pearl shift some of the larger pieces of the mess, straining to lift some of the pieces of scrap but refusing to ask for help. She sorted diligently, effectively, so that the mess visibly decreased in volume even as Rose silently watched. Pearl's grip on a slab of metal slipped and four of the ones she'd just stacked clattered to the floor again. Pearl merely sighed and began the process all over again.

Rose looked away. She was wasting her time.

But all the same, she felt like she could not give up on this poor defect. She could save her, if only she could figure out how…

Pearl was sorting gears by this point, carefully placing the correctly-sized ones into their boxes so that the teeth were lined up perfectly. Just like a well-trained technician would. She handled all the tools properly, even though she had never been made for such work. It was as if her fingers just knew what to do.

The thought struck Rose suddenly and without warning. _I've been going about this all wrong…_

"Pearl…wait."

Pearl froze, turning to stare at Rose Quartz.

"I have an idea." The bigger gem said. She gestured at the chair of the room's worktable, usually reserved for her technicians. "Sit down. I have a new task for you."

Pearl obeyed but hesitantly. "A new task?" She asked.

Rose nodded. Reaching into the set of gears Pearl had just organized, she placed a random handful in front of the other gem. "You are going to work with these pieces." She told Pearl. "Everyday. Until you can create something out of them. If you need more, just ask. If you don't understand something, figure it out."

Pearl looked at the pieces before her like they were bits of smashed gems. "But what will this accomplish?" She asked, prodding one with her finger until it flipped over.

"You're going to learn, Pearl." Rose told her. "You're going to discover."

Pearl gazed up at Rose in complete disbelief. "But…Pearls don't learn…" she stammered.

Rose covered one of Pearl's hands with her own. "You're not just a Pearl anymore." Rose told her sternly, but kindly. "You're _my_ Pearl. And I said I was going to fix you. So now…" she straightened up, looked Pearl right in the eye and spoke a deliberate command. "Fix yourself, Pearl."

Pearl shivered. Her programmed response was to obey immediately but her defective form meant that she immediately recoiled from any stern commands. Rose watched the struggle impassively for a few moments, awaiting the decision.

"Yes…Rose."

* * *

Several days later, Rose caught Pearl watching her as she practiced with her sword in the courtyard.

She sighed. Pearl had been getting better about following orders when it meant she was allowed to learn in the workshop but she still sometimes did things Rose had not commanded her to.

Rose lowered her sword and called loudly. "I know you're here Pearl, please come out where I can see you!"

Pearl had emerged, blushing a deep blue from her hiding place among Rose's flower garden, her head lowered meekly.

"I…I know I'm supposed to be organizing your reports, madam…Rose. But I…I couldn't help but notice you out here in the yard…"

"What about your study?" Rose asked spinning her sword in a deft and complicated pattern.

"I've finished."

The sword faltered. "Finished?"

Pearl looked just as confused as Rose felt. "I…assembled the pieces…?" She replied, sounding unsure of herself.

Rose slid her blade into its waiting scabbard and dissipated her shield.

"Show me." She commanded. Pearl led her to the workshop, where the mess had magically vanished replaced instead with a haphazardly patched together Mark 2.4 Kindergarten injector that Rose had forgotten she had had the pieces to.

"I managed to get the frame in place by welding it." Pearl was saying quietly from behind Rose as the bigger gem examined the piece of reconstructed machinery. "I couldn't get it to look perfect but I did manage to get the gears re-aligned and repair the engine feeds…"

Rose whirled to face her, absolutely baffled. The engine feeds had been smashed beyond repair, even by her.

Pearl took a step back. "Was this…was it satisfactory?"

Rose actually laughed. "Satisfactory? Pearl, you took a machine that was smashed essentially to scrap and rebuilt an injector! This is more than satisfactory!"

Pearl ducked her head, blushing terribly. Rose walked around the drill several times, marveling at the feat. Although it was far from operational (that had been impossible from the pieces) this was still very impressive. If this was what she could do with scrap…

 _Perhaps I can get Pearl enrolled at the Yellow Diamond Academy…they're making new technicians there, I bet they'd love to see what she can…_

"Rose?" Pearl called, interrupting her thoughts. "Shall I go clean up the courtyard now that my 'learning' is done?" She sounded dejected but resigned.

Rose stopped, staring at her possession. Her possession. Of course, how foolish of her

She would never make it in the Academies. She'd be laughed out or refused entry. Even if she did get in, her defects combined with her natural lower class of Gem would deny her so many opportunities, make everyday a living hell while she tried her best to succeed.

Pearl was still watching her, almost expectantly. She had approached this opportunity as an odd task and now…now it seemed she was actually displeased it was complete. Pearl had taken to the learning with relish after that first day, vanishing for hours into the workshop to continue her task. She showed the same devotion to her learning that she had previously to her obsessive organizing. Her disobedience hadn't markedly improved but she had snapped at Rose and others less often. And now she had taught herself basic repair skills. Perhaps…perhaps Pearl could learn other things too. Perhaps the learning could truly help her.

Maybe…Rose had found a way to 'fix' her.

"Pearl… how would you like to learn something else?" Rose asked her.

Pearl's eyes lit up, so much so that her Gem shone just a little. "There's more?" She sounded positively ecstatic.

Rose smiled. "Follow me."

She led her back to the courtyard, where the rack containing Rose's many blades hovered diligently in the air. Ignoring her enormous pink blade, Rose selected the smallest of her weapons and presented it to Pearl.

"Here."

Pearl stared at her as if she had just offered her a grenade.

"Go on." Rose urged her. "Take it."

Cautiously, Pearl wrapped her hand around the hilt, her fingers brushing Rose's slightly.

"Now," Rose began, moving around to stand behind Pearl but keeping her hand over the smaller gem's on the weapon. "I'm going to show you the very basics… spread your feet apart."

Pearl obeyed.

"Bend your knees." Rose told her, lifting the sword slightly. Pearl's arm was already trembling at the weight. "And now…position 1!" Rose thrust the sword forward, nearly sending Pearl stumbling at the suddenness of the move. "Position 2!" She swung the sword to the left in a parry, Pearl's body following the motion effortlessly this time.

They continued like this for some time, Rose guiding Pearl through some simple forms and stances. Eventually Rose extracted herself from her student and watched her move on her own. She giggled when Pearl finally noticed that she had left.

"Excellent!" Rose cheered as Pearl performed a flawless combination of parries.

Pearl blushed. "really?"

Rose nodded in approval. "Maybe one day you'll even be able to summon your own weapon!"

Pearl's face clouded. "No. No I cant." She lowered the sword, the tip falling to the dirt. "I wont even have one…Pearls…we don't have weapons…" The sword slipped from her trembling fingers and fell to the courtyard floor. She folded in on herself defensively, just like she did whenever she snapped at someone.

"You don't know that." Rose replied softly. After seeing Pearl so loose, so confident and free, she couldn't bear to see her go back.

"You have to work within your limitations, Pearl." She continued, not looking at Pearl but aware that she was watching her. "Turn them into strengths. That is how all Gems discover their weapons. You are very agile, fast, and precise…I could see you finding a sword within yourself…a sword just like this one." She stooped over and picked up the blade. Running her palm gently along the side of the blade, she addressed her student. "And you have an eye for detail and skill for innovation that would make a perfect tactical strategist. Who knows? Maybe you have a weapon waiting inside your Gem. We just have to find the right method to get it out."

Pearl was quiet, watching Rose with wide eyes again. Rose stood and replaced the sword on her floating rack alongside her pink blade.

One day perhaps. But not today.

For now, she would try to fix her Pearl by stimulating her intellectual prowess.

"What do you say I go get you a combat map from our last conquest and teach you how to read it?" Rose asked.

Pearl's smile was hesitant but for the first time, it was genuine.


	3. Different Worlds

_Different Worlds_

The Ruby bounced on the balls of her feet, thrumming with nervous energy. When they'd woken her up a few minutes ago, she'd been excited. Now she was positively ecstatic.

The voice of the stadium announcer boomed from above her, inside the arena she was about to enter.

"Gems, tonight our match is certainly one to behold! Our first competitor: Ruby of the Shadowlands! Quite a mystery Gem here, everyone! Grown in the distant Darkness sector, no one is sure exactly how she was formed and she's one little Gem that packs a big punch!"

Ruby sneered and pounded her left hand into her right palm. Her Gem glowed in anticipation. Tonight was the night. They'd woken her up to fight in a Dusk match. Not a Daytime match. This was it. If she triumphed here today, she might actually get to stay awake for a bit, rather than being poofed until her next match. She'd see the fans and maybe some of the citadel. They'd give her a taste of freedom.

It all rested on today's victory.

"You're going to lose."

Ruby glanced over her shoulder, staring at the source of the voice in disbelief. "What?"

A small blue Gem exactly her size was standing outside her cage, peeking at her solemnly through thick white bangs with her one eye. "You're going to lose this fight." She said again, slower and more deliberately.

Ruby scoffed. "Nope." She contradicted her, smashing her fists together. "I never lose."

"This time you will."

She said it with such conviction that Ruby turned around. "What do you know?" She asked cockily, flexing her biceps. "I'm the best fighter this ring has to offer!"

"I know the future." The Gem said coldly, a distinct chill shimmering in the air around her. "And I am never wrong."

Ruby ran up to the bars of her cage and slammed against them. The other Gem flinched but did not step away.

"Did you know I was going to do that?" Ruby mocked, grabbing the energy links and shaking them hard so that intense shocks ran through her body. She shook them off effortlessly. She was fired up, nothing could stop her!

The other Gem took a step back, her mouth hanging open at Ruby's antics.

A Jade came up behind the other Gem and placed a large hand on her shoulder. "There you are, my precious little pebble." She said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Come along my Sapphire, the match is about to start." She glanced at Ruby patronizingly through the bars of the cage. "Have you got what you need?" She asked the blue gem, stroking the Sapphire's hair and leading her away from Ruby.

The Sapphire looked back at Ruby as she left. "Bet against this one." She told the Jade in a voice loud enough for Ruby to hear. "She's going to lose."

Ruby seethed. "Oh yeah? That's what you think!" She shouted after the other Gems' retreating forms. But before she could see any kind of reaction from the Sapphire, her cage door was flung open and she was forcefully ejected into the ring. The suddenness of it meant that her entrance was not the flawless arc she had been planning but rather a kind of head-over-heels tumble that catapulted her right at her opponents' feet.

The audience roared as Ruby groaned at the sudden movement. Gazing up, she took in her opponent: an Emerald easily twice her size. Oh perfect.

The other Gem lashed out at her, light engulfing her body as she summoned her body armor around her Gem. With a mighty heave from her arms, Ruby launched herself back onto her feet and slid out of the way. The Emerald punched the ground where she had been a second ago, then whirled to face her. Ruby sized her up. She was bulky, not very fast. Ruby had the advantage of speed. But their weapons were what caused the real disparity. The Emerald had thick body armor that covered her chest gem entirely and most of her physical form. Ruby only had her gauntlet and nothing to protect her exposed left hand where her gem sat nestled in her palm.

 _You're going to lose…_

She shook her head violently to clear the Sapphire's voice from her thoughts. She was going to win. She had to.

The Emerald charged her again, Ruby ran right at her, summoning her gauntlet as she sprinted. Time to see what kind of force that armor could take.

Leaping into the air in a reddish blur, she drove her fist into the Emerald's chest. The resulting vibrations shook her to her core, momentarily stunning her. Snarling, the Emerald grabbed her by her arm, her enormous fist completely encircling Ruby's bicep and hurled her towards the arena wall. Ruby smashed into the energy field, the shocks less welcome this time. She collapsed on the ground, her physical form wavering but holding.

 _Maybe that wasn't the best plan…_

Why did the voice in her head sound like that Sapphire now? It was infuriating!

The Emerald charged her now, ramming into her before she'd even stood up, sending her tumbling across the arena.

Ruby landed in a heap in the center of the ring, her whole form trembling and her gauntlet dissolving.

 _Ughhh, I cant even land a blow…how can I…?_

Through the cheers and jeering of the crowd around her, Ruby heard someone shouting at her to stand up. The ground shook beneath her as the Emerald charged her again. Ruby clenched her fist.

 _I'm NOT LOSING!_

With a roar, she rolled to the side and sprang to her feet.

"That all you got, you big pebble?" She taunted the Emerald. The behemoth bore down on her again, her arms outstretched like she was going to grab Ruby in a crushing hug.

Ruby dodged, landing a single powerful blow on the Emerald's back. The armor rang again. So no hope there either.

Skidding as she landed, Ruby crouched low and waited. It took about five seconds for her opponent to stop, change directions and charge her again. By that time, she was more than ready. Ruby sprinted forward, throwing her arms open at the last second to slam her full weight into her opponent's legs. The Emerald stumbled, badly off-balance and tumbled to the ground.

Ruby struggled to detangle herself from the Emerald, wriggling through her legs as the bigger gem shuddered and began to pick herself back up. But before Ruby could completely extricate herself, the Emerald turned and stomped her foot down on her left wrist. She slowly stood, putting her full weight on Ruby: one foot on her chest, the other on her extended arm. The small gem bit back a gasp of pain and desperately tried to wriggle free. A punch from the Emerald directly to her face had her going limp for a moment.

She recovered just in time to see the Emerald rearing back her fist and aiming for her trapped hand. Desperation consumed Ruby and she wiggled harder, just enough to move her trapped hand a few precious inches.

The punch missed her hand by less than a millimeter, the audience gasping loudly as Ruby avoided the blow. Ruby struggled to pull her left arm free, wriggling as much as she could but the monstrous weight on her arm would not budge again.

The Emerald pulled her fist back, readying another crushing punch. Ruby felt fear trying to consume her. Her opponent was resorting to Gem shots. She wasn't trying to beat her. She was trying to shatter her.

Curling her fingers tightly around her Gem, Ruby tried not to panic. What did she have? What could move? Her legs, her body, her right hand…her right hand!

As the Emerald readied herself for another blow, Ruby punched the other gem's knee with her free hand. She felt a wave of relief and satisfaction when her aggressor stumbled. She peeled her arm out from under the other's foot and managed to land one solid hit on the Emerald's uncovered hip with her gauntlet. Her opponent hissed and rounded on her, but her damaged leg collapsed under her and she cried out in pain.

This was her chance. Ruby dashed off running, picking up speed as she sprinted one lap around the arena. Heat spread through her body as she ran, her emotions driving the fire that lived in her heart, that made her the fighter she was. Changing direction on a dime, she charged right at her opponent in a blur of fiery rage.

"I am an ETERNAL FLAME!" Ruby roared, flames burning in her wake. Her gauntlet increased to twice its size, making her arm tremble with the effort of swinging it. But her momentum could not be stopped. She pivoted, leading with her fist, and smashed her oversized, boiling hot weapon right into her opponents' face with all the force she could muster. The Emerald went limp under the force of her blow, than flew away from her, careening into the stadium wall with a loud crackling sound. The electric fence strained, then snapped, sending the Emerald crashing into the stands beyond in a huge plume of dust. Before the dust of her impact had even cleared, there was a small explosion and a green gem fell to the ground. Ruby had won.

The arena was silent for about three endless seconds. Then the lucky underdogs who had bet their credits on the little Ruby burst into cheers.

Ruby looked up triumphantly, her gauntlet held above her head proudly. Against impossible odds among the enormous crowd, her eyes found the Sapphire. Even though her eye was covered by her bangs, Ruby could clearly see the disbelief on her face.

Feeling giddy, Ruby winked pointedly in her direction and blew her a kiss. The Sapphire stiffened and grew ridged. The Jade next to her gripped her shoulder tightly and pulled her out of Ruby's sight but not before the fighting gem caught a fleeting look of fear cross the Sapphire's expression. Startled, Ruby craned her neck, trying to see where they were going but the arena's handlers swarmed her and dragged her away. She struggled and shouted mightily as the Jaspers hauled her away from the opening and back down into the dark wings of the arena. The stands were consumed by angry mumblings as the betters tried to salvage their bets by any means necessary. Pearls darted about, cleaning up the mess. One bubbled the Emerald and set it to the Chambers below.

Ruby was thrown roughly against the stone wall as her handlers released her.

"When do I get out?" She demanded, jumping right back to her feet. She'd waited hundreds of years for this, she wasn't going to be delayed. Plus, if she didn't act soon, the Sapphire would get too far away to find.

One of the Jaspers laughed. "With that performance, you're never getting out again, you little sneak."

Ruby paused, anger seething within her. "What do you mean? I won. I get to go out."

The Jasper sneered at her. "Not with so many of the crowd so displeased. They'd shatter you soon as they saw you with all the money you cost them! You were supposed to lose and you cheated your way to victory."

Ruby cracked her knuckles, right on the verge of summoning her gauntlet again. "I. DON'T. CARE. I won. I want to go out. Now. I want to see that Sapphire!" Ruby insisted. "The one who was with the Jade down here before the match."

The other Jasper chuckled darkly. "You wont be seeing anyone, least of all her!" She said.

"What? Why not!"

Her handler shrugged. "Jade will decommission her now. Her prediction was wrong, she's useless to him. She'll be harvested by the morning. I'll bet all the powerful losers out there will be doing the same to their Sapphires now that they're predictions have been wrong."

Ruby was stunned, so stunned that she allowed the Jaspers to take her by the arms again and drag her. Her thoughts were clouded with the image of the Sapphire's fear, of that cool and even-tempered voice chastising her.

 _She's going to be harvested? Because I won?_

A small part of her was smug, glad that the uptight Gem was getting a fitting punishment for doubting her abilities. But it was a _very_ small part. Most of her was equally divided between horrified and strangely sad.

 _They'd just harvest her…just like that?_

She glanced up at her handlers, pulling her along like a thing, like they would an object. The arena would harvest her without a second thought too. She was nothing to them. Nothing but a piece. A possession or object. As soon as she disobeyed or was proved useless or defective, she'd be tossed away without a care.

Blinking hard, Ruby forced herself to focus on her surroundings. She knew this path. They were taking her down the east corridor, towards a flight of stairs that descended into the depths of the Chambers.

In that moment, Ruby saw her future just as clearly as if she were a Sapphire. They were taking her back to a cell. She wasn't getting her promised freedom. She was going to be held in darkness until they sent her either into another fight to keep her physical form or she disappointed them again. Both her and Sapphire would inevitably be reduced to powder in the near future if nothing changed. If she did nothing.

Ruby shrugged. "Oh, what the heck? Why not?" She didn't particularly care for the arena anyway. She'd always wanted more. And if she got crushed, so what? She was headed there anyway.

Digging her feet into the ground, Ruby let her bubbling anger rise through her. The flames within quickly rose to the surface of her skin, her physical form growing so hot it actually glowed. Both Jaspers released her with howls of pain, glaring at the tiny coal that merely grinned smugly at them.

"What's the matter?" Ruby taunted, bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet. "Cant take the heat?"

As one, they curled up into their attack forms and charged her. Ruby waited until the last possible second, then jumped into the air, easily cresting their rotating forms. They shot past her, smashing into the unbreakable wall behind her.

Ruby landed on the balls of her feet and spun, summoning her gauntlet. "Come on you brutes!" She mocked the dizzy and dazed guards. "Surely two burly gems like you can easily overtake a small _cheating_ Ruby." One of them made a move towards her but collapsed heavily before she'd taken two steps, her physical form wavering. The other was not so damaged. She spun back into her attack form, albeit with a little more difficultly than before. Ruby bounced, waiting for just the right moment…

As the guard bore down on her, a well-timed punch sent her ricocheting off the wall and banging down the long staircase to the Chambers below. Ruby heard her frantic yells echoing away with increasing speed as she continued on her way, moving too fast to stop herself in the narrow hallways below.

Nodding in satisfaction, Ruby dissolved her gauntlet and turned away from the stairs. Towards the light. Towards freedom.

The guard collapsed along the wall lifted her hand as if to grab her but she easily swatted it away. "Where…do you think…you're going?" The guard asked dazedly.

Ruby grinned. "I'm going to steal myself a Sapphire!"

* * *

The compound was dark when Ruby arrived. Nonetheless, she kept very close to the wall in case any guards happened to be about. She'd never been outside the arena before but she knew what it was like from the stories. A Gem like her would be captured and sold if she were caught running around by herself.

The wall was very high and inlaid with small blue stones just out of her reach. It was too smooth to climb and Ruby seriously doubted she'd be able to punch her way through without attracting someone's attention. Ruby scratched at her head as she pondered the challenge before her.

After she'd made her way out of the arena — only needing to beat up two more Jasper guards to escape out the main gate — she'd found herself lost in a deafening swarm of bigger gems among the citadel streets. It had been overwhelming. So many sensations and movements, how could she keep track of it all? Her heart had sunk as she was buffeted by Goshenites, Pearls, Jets, Ambers, and Aquamarines, all of them heading in different directions with completely contradictory purposes. This was not as simple as the arena. She didn't know who to fight.

How was she to find the Sapphire in all of _this?_

But it seemed the Diamond Authority had favored her this night. Just as she was contemplating punching something, a distinct voice had reached through the throng of gems. Ruby had frozen among a stand of stimulant carts, hiding among the ground rocks and cartons of boiling nitrogen, her ears pricked and listening.

Singing. Someone was singing.

There were no words, only a simple melody repeated over and over like a name being called. Somehow she knew it was for her.

Ruby had followed it, running along alleys and down crowded streets until she reached the edge of the citadel and this compound. Now it had stopped and she didn't know how to proceed.

Ruby slid down into the bushes around the wall to think. The Sapphire had led her here, she was sure of it. Now how was she going to get inside?

" _Ruby_!"

She jumped about a foot in the air as the voice hissed in her ear. Her gauntlet formed without a thought and she whirled around, ready to attack.

A small giggle from her would-be assailant had her stopping cold.

"It's you!?"

The Sapphire smiled at her. "I saw you coming." She explained. "I wanted to make sure I'd be ready for you so you wouldn't cause a scene."

Ruby relaxed slightly, her gauntlet fading. "Oh right, the predicting thing."

"It's called future vision." Sapphire corrected her. She was floating just slightly above the ground. That explained how she had snuck up on Ruby so easily.

The two of them shared a moment of silence, both unsure what to say or how to proceed.

"…Where's your Jade?" Ruby finally asked, in an effort to break the uneasy atmosphere between them.

"I poofed her." Sapphire said casually.

Ruby just blinked several times, her mouth hanging open.

Sapphire's eye narrowed humorously. "You were expecting to have to come in here all fired up? Fists blazing and screaming holy murder to rescue me?"

Ruby normally would have snapped at an accusation like that. But the teasing way in which the Sapphire said it instead had her fighting to keep her natural fire from flaring up in embarrassment.

"Uhhhh…well…yeah." She said sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck.

The Sapphire smirked. "What? Just because I'm not an 'eternal flame' doesn't mean I cant take care of myself." She was teasing again. Ruby felt her cheeks grow hot.

"I…I never said you couldn't…" she muttered defensively.

"You were going to."

"…no…"

"You were. I saw it."

Ruby groaned, slapping her forehead with her right hand. "That future predicting of yours is going to get very annoying, isn't it?"

Sapphire's smile faded. "One day, you may find it more useful than you realize." She said cryptically, her voice growing distant.

Okay, whatever _that_ meant, Ruby wasn't too eager to find out. "So…" Ruby said, drawing Sapphire's attention back from wherever it had just wandered. "I'm assuming you know why I'm here…?"

"I believe you're about to make some kind of big speech telling me all the reasons why I should abandon my master and this life, to run away with a lowlife like you for an unknown, dangerous and precarious future where we both might very well be captured, harvested or shattered at any time. But despite all of that, we should still do it because at least we'd be free."

Ruby grinned guiltily. "You left out the part where I tell you that the arena will probably be sending some rather annoyed Jaspers after me because I beat them up and outsmarted the door code system all on my own." She pointed out.

Now it was Sapphire's turn to blink incomprehensibly several times. "You…you really are more than meets the eye, Ruby." She said softly.

Ruby grinned and punched her lightly on the shoulder. "That makes two of us."

Sapphire looked at her oddly, than pointedly looked away. Ruby found herself floundering, her words tripping over themselves to continue. "Sooo….are you? I mean…you seem like you aren't totally against the idea and I know it'll be hard for you but I promise I'll always be there…if…if you want me to be! and I'll look out for us and protect you…"

A cool hand slid into hers, a small curl of steam rising from her palm. She felt another gem click slightly against her own. She looked up into Sapphire's eye. "Come on," The blue gem told her with a tiny smile. "let's go."

They walked away from the wall, hand-in-hand, their gems rubbing pleasantly together as they went. "So we're both outcasts now, huh?" Ruby commented once the walls of Sapphire's old compound faded into the distance.

Sapphire stopped walking. "Yes." She agreed after a beat. "Both defective Gems. Runaways…without a home."She paused for a moment, staring at the stars overhead. Her voice had that distant quality to it that Ruby was beginning to associate with Sapphire seeing the future laid out before her. She gently tugged the other Gem's hand, willing her to come back to her.

"If you don't mind me asking." Ruby began when Sapphire finally turned to look at her. "Why _did_ you chose to come with me?"

"Because you proved me wrong." Sapphire replied simply. "When you won that match, that was the first time I'd ever been wrong about the path of the future."

"Really?" Ruby felt oddly satisfied and stood a little taller. "I told you so, didn't I?"

"Yes…" Sapphire chuckled. "You did." Her eye softened and she gave Ruby the warmest look the other Gem had ever seen. "Thank you."

Ruby felt the heat rising in her again but something had occurred to her that troubled her and quickly quelled its rise. "But…wouldn't that be a bad thing?" Ruby asked. "Don't you want to always be right?"

"When you know the future, your own existence is useless." Sapphire explained. "My choices are predetermined by what I see."

Ruby turned to her, slightly crestfallen. "So were you predetermined to choose to leave with me?" Her satisfaction at her victory seemed bittersweet all of the sudden.

Sapphire turned her entire body to face her and placed a gentle hand on Ruby's cheek, forcing the other Gem to focus entirely on her.

"No. I wasn't." She smiled at Ruby. "But I like the future I see. So for the first time, _I_ chose _it_."


End file.
